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18
hrmonline.com.au
1. Don’t listen to the
stereotypes about
introversion or apologise
for it.
2. Understand and appreciate
who you are, your strengths and
find what’s useful about your so-
called ‘weaknesses’. For example,
your reserved nature can be valuable
as a leader in empowering teams to
contribute ideas.
3. Know how to leverage all of your
qualities, both strengths
and ‘weaknesses’.
4. Invest in learning skills and techniques to
add to your natural qualities, not to fix
or replace your ‘weaknesses’.
5. Find an area of work that you are
passionate about. You can be courageous
and build confidence when you are
passionate.
6. Help your colleagues understand how you work
best and get support from colleagues you trust.
For example, they may give you an ‘in’ or space to
be heard in a meeting you are prepared for.
7. Do something. Start with baby steps
and keep building on it.
WAYS TO BE
QUIETLY POWERFUL
Megumi Miki. Miki has spoken with more than
200 women who identify as introverted across
Australia. A major concern for them is that their
employers and colleagues misunderstand them,
says Miki. “They are worried that they appear
disengaged,” she says. “Or that they are not
confident because they don’t speak up, or that
they don’t want to contribute.”
However, Miki says introverted women who
have leadership ambitions can’t wait until the
workplace becomes more favourable to them;
they need to adapt if they want to get ahead.
And encouraging these women to “be more
confident” or to “fake it ‘til you make it”
won’t help in the long term.
An introvert herself, Miki recalls being
exhausted early in her career when she “put on
a power suit and heels” in a bid to adopt the
extroverted persona expected from someone
working for a leading business consultancy.
What will help introverted women edge out of
their comfort zone? Miki says finding a passion
that they can incorporate into their everyday
work is a great enabler. “There needs to be some
pull towards wanting to contribute more,” she
advises. “You need to work out what you are
passionate about and then connect it with an
end outcome that is useful to the business.”
Quietly powerful in HR
Introverted female HR leaders may face the
challenge of being the only female at the top
table and competing to be heard among leaders
of major profit centres that traditionally hold
sway. Yet they can still make a strategic impact
while remaining true to themselves, Miki says.
Having sight of the “bigger pictu re”, strong
facilitation skills and being able to ask the
right questions can give introverts a valuable
presence. “These skills can be an advantage
because you can help solve problems instead
of dominating,” she says.
Quieter H R professionals should also
try to be more strategic in their one-on-one
conversations with other leaders, Miki says.
“Really get into their minds about what’s
concerning them about the business, and find
out how you can help.” •••
BEHAVIOURAL
PSYCHOLOGY
EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT LEADERSHIP COURSE
Develop your emotional intelligence including your self-awareness and resilience, and build your
capacity to motivate yourself and others, with this AHRI in-house training course.
customlearning@ahri.com.au
CASE STUDY
ALL IN THE MIND
CAROLINE STAINKAMPH
If someone had told Caroline Stainkamph
as a graduate that she would one day be in
a senior role that focused on people she’d
have been “horrified”.
Stainkamph started at Computershare as
an introverted 18-year-old coder. “It was an
amazing job for me because I just got to sit
at a computer and code.”
Now, 29 years later and head of business
management and transformation (global
technology services) she’s still an introvert, but
credits her advancement with exchanging her
“fixed mindset” with a “growth mindset”.
“I just have a lot more self-awareness and
understanding about what I’m good or not
good at... and got better at feeling comfortable
with myself and giving things a go.”
Many years of trying and practising
speaking to new people (including introducing
herself to one colleague at a time in the office
kitchen) means she now has a “bring it
on” response to presenting
or running workshops.
“But I know that if I
have workshops or
presentations, I’ll have
to factor some time
for deep thinking and
research in my week
to recharge.”
on” response to presenting
or running workshops.
presentations, I’ll have
for deep thinking and
research in my week
PMS 300 CP PMS 347 CP PMS COOL
GREY 10 CP
AHRI
GRADIENT
Australian HR Institute
HRM31_16-21_QUIET_v5.indd 18
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